Jeraldine "Jeri" Haynak

December 14, 1939 - January 16, 2021

Jeraldine “Jeri” (Myers) Haynak, age 81 of Clare, passed away on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at the Woodland Hospice Home of Mt. Pleasant with family by her side. On December 14, 1939, Jeri was born the fourth of seven children to Harry and Ida (LaVoye) Myers on their family farm in Kalkaska, MI. She was united in marriage to Robert A. Haynak on January 12, 1957 in Clare County and together they shared nearly forty-two years of marriage until Bob’s passing in 1998. Very shortly after their marriage, Jeri and Bob bought their first and only home in Clare to begin growing their family, which would include their sons Robert, Kevin, and Mark. As if raising three Haynak boys successfully wasn’t enough hard work— as any reasonable Clare local will attest—Jeri briefly worked for the Essex Wire Corp. in Clare before taking her more locally recognized job with Clare’s original Giant Grocery Store. During her time with Giant, Jeri worked in nearly every facet of the store in her twenty-plus years of service. Beyond her clear love as a doting mom, Jeri also took pleasure in utilizing her accomplished cooking and baking skills—always starting from scratch and never following anything but the recipes in her head. Her other passions included growing and gardening her day lilies, keeping up with family and friends over long phone conversations, taking an occasional casino trip with her friends, and going for car rides with her husband Bob in her younger years. However, it was Jeri’s time spent in her “grandma daycare” role that she loved the most. Jeri is survived by her three sons Robert R. (Carol) Haynak of Ithaca, Kevin (Tammy) Haynak of Clare, and Mark (Alissa) Haynak of Clare and her grandchildren Krista (Nick) Wyman, Trevor, Aaron, Devin, and Marcus Haynak. Other survivors include her great-granddaughter Emersyn Wyman, her sisters Joyce Hillman of Indianapolis, Joan (Aaron) Muma of Gladwin, and brothers Delwin (Vonda) Myers of Gladwin and Gary (Ann) Myers, also of Gladwin. Jeri was preceded in death by her husband Bob, her parents Harry and Ida Myers, and her siblings Jean Lambert and Larry Myers. A funeral service in honor of Jeri will take place on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. at the Clare Chapel of the Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home with Mr. Stewart Murie officiating. Burial will follow in the St. Cecilia Catholic Cemetery of Clare. Friends may visit with the Haynak family at the funeral home on Wednesday the 20th from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. All current Covid-19 guidelines will be observed and masks will be required. Memorial contributions in honor of Jeri may be directed toward Woodland Hospice. For those unable to attend, services will be live-streamed on the Stephenson-Wyman Facebook Page and online condolences may be shared at www.stephenson-wyman.com